Goodbye Brian My Love
by Villains' Bad Girl
Summary: The worst thing imaginable has happened to the Griffins. How will Barbara cope knowing that special person is gone, especially at the time she needs him most? Brian/OC Sequel to Save the Puppies
1. Time With Brian

_Hey-O! Welcome everyone to my new fic! Let's hope this one turns out as good as my other ones._

* * *

_It seems today, that all you see_  
_Is violence in movies and sex on TV_  
_But where are those good old-fashioned values_  
_On which we used to rely?_

_Lucky there's a family guy_  
_Lucky there's a man who positively can do_  
_All the things that make us_  
_Laugh and cry_

_He's...a...fam...ily...guy!_

Barbara sighed as she watched the puppies run through the kitchen. They were growing up so fast. They were only six months old, but they were already acting like 10 year old human children. She gasped as the puppies tossed a ball around the house.

"Kids, if you're going to do that, take it outside!" she said.

"Okay, Mom", Ollie said as he, Marcus, Briana and Jenny went out to the backyard.

"Mom, where's Dad and Stewie?" Briana asked.

"Somewhere", Barbara answered. "You go play, I'll go get them."

She got up and walked up to Stewie's room. The two of them had been spending a lot of time together, doing a lot of time travel and whatnot. Barbara opened the door and covered her eyes as Stewie's time machine gave a flash of light. Brian and Stewie walked out carrying a load of guns.

"Guys, what the hell have you been doing?" Barbara asked. "What is all this?"

"You wouldn't believe what we just went through", Brian said. "Stewie here thought it was a good idea to give native Americans guns. So what are you going to do with all those guns?"

"I don't know". Stewie answered. "Sell them to some messed up kid?"

"Stewie!" Barbara gasped.

"So", he started. "You guys hungry? I could go for some lunch."

"Yeah, I guess so", she sighed rolling her eyes.

"Didn't you just eat like two hours ago?" Brian asked.

"Yeah, but I could use something to snack on."

The three of them went downstairs into the kitchen where the puppies were running around, tracking mud all over the floor. Marcus and Ollie tossed their ball back and forth across the room.

"Kids, what did I say?" Barbara said.

"Okay, okay, we're going", Marcus said as he and Ollie went outside.

"Hey, Dad", Briana said taking a seat next to Brian.

"Hey, kiddo", Brian smiled.

"Dad, I was wondering, if you're not too busy, that we could maybe go shopping later?"

He looked at Briana surprised and looked at Barbara who was fixing Stewie lunch. He hadn't spent that much time with the girls in weeks. They were going through that stage where they wanted their own privacy.

"Why don't you ask your mom?" he mumbled nervously.

"Honey, don't you think you should spend some quality time with your daughter?" Barbara said. "At least she's willing to."

"Yeah", he said. "Okay. After lunch we'll go out."

"Thanks, Dad!" Briana said as she hugged him.

Barbara fixed them all lunch. They sat down and watched as Barbara sniffed at her ham sandwich. She loved those kind of sandwiches, but for some reason, she looked unsatisfied. She got up and got some cheese, mayonnaise and mustard to put on her sandwich.

"Mustard?" Brian said. "Mayonnaise? I thought you hated that stuff?"

"I do", she said. "I'm just real hungry."

Brian just shook his head thinking how weird Barbara was acting today.

"Okay, I'm done!" Briana said. "Come on, Dad. Let's go!"

She pulled Brian's hand and pulled him out the door. Barbara smiled and took a seat next to Stewie.

"Well, you're eating an awful lot lately", he said.

"Yeah, so?"

"Are you sure it's all just for you?" he asked.

"What?" she asked.

Stewie giggled knowing what was going on with Barbara.


	2. The Accident

Brian looked at Barbara who was knitting a blanket for the puppies. Barbara had finally stopped eating for the day, but Brian was still concerned about her. As they sat downstairs, they could hear a faint metal clanking.

"Do you hear something?" Barbara asked.

They went upstairs when the clanking got louder. It seemed to be coming from Stewie's room.

"What the hell is that?" Brian asked.

"Let's find out", Barbara said.

They opened the door and gasped. The time machine had been taken apart and destroyed. They watched Stewie banging on part of the mechanics with a hammer, destroying all that was left of the machine.

"Oh my god!" Brian said. "What are you doing?"

"This time machine has nearly killed us over a hundred times", Stewie said. "And yesterday was just too close a call. So I decided to get rid of it before something irrepairable happens."

"But aren't you going to miss it?" Barbara asked.

"Trust me, it's for the best."

"So what are you going to do now?" she asked.

"We take things one day at a time and see what happens", he shrugged. "I'm sure Brian and I will find something better to do than time-travel."

* * *

Barbara looked out the window as Brian and Stewie packed up the scrap metal of the time machine and drove off toward the dump. She was in the kitchen with Lois, helping her bake cookies, but she was eating more than baking.

"You know, Barbara you've been eating a lot lately", Lois pointed out.

"I just been really hungry", Barbara said. "It's been going on for days now."

"You, know I had the same kind of eating problem when I was pregnant with Stewie", she said as she put another batch of cookies in the oven. "Have you ever thought that might be the problem?"

"Pregnant? That's impossible. Brian and I haven't had sex in...oh wow. It's actually been a couple weeks."

Barbara looked down in shock. She and Brian hadn't talked about the possibility of having more puppies. They had their hands full with raising four, what were they going to do with even more? She looked up as Brian and Stewie came home with something in the back of the car.

"What's that you got there?" Barbara asked as they came inside.

"It's a street hockey net we found at the dump", Brian said. "Stewie and I are going to have a game."

"Can we play too?" Marcus asked as he and the others came inside.

"Yeah", Stewie said. "We could split up into teams."

"Just be careful out there", Barbara said.

The puppies went to join Brian and Stewie outside. Barbara occasionally looked out the window to check on them.

"Brian look out!" Stewie said.

She heard Stewie's voice and quickly looked out the window to see Brian being run over by a car.

"BRIAN!" Barbara screamed running outside.

"Dad!" the puppies screamed running to him. "Dad! Daddy!"

"Brian!" Barbara said kneeling next to him. "Honey, can you hear me?"

Brian laid in the street unmoving. His body was bloody and broken. Everyone was in total shock, they were unable to move or say anything as they watched a squirrel come and kick Brian in the face.

"That guy sucked", he said before running away.


	3. Goodbye Brian

Barbara sniffled as she paced back and forth as the Griffins waited at the vet's office. Brian was in intesive care and the vet was doing all he could. The puppies watched their mother, more scared than they had ever seen her.

"Oh, Brian", she cried as she prayed. "Please be okay. Please make it through this. I can't lose you."

"Dad's going to be okay, right Mom?" Jenny asked.

"I'm praying as much as I can", Barbara said. "I suggest you all do the same."

She turned as she saw the vet come into the waiting room. Her ears flattened against her head as she saw his scrubs covered in blood. The Griifins stood hoping to hear some good news.

"Doctor, how is Brian?" Lois asked. "Is he going to be okay?"

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Griffin", he said. "But Brian's injuries are just too severe for us to save him. I don't know how much longer he has, but I suggest you all go in and say your goodbyes."

Everyone's eyes widened and their jaws dropped when they heard the news. Brian was dying. Barbara started gasping and crying.

"No...no, Brian can't die. Please, is there anything you can do?"

"I'm so sorry", the vet said as he led them to Brian's room.

Everyone gasped as they saw him lying on the table nearly lifeless as his injuries bled freely. The puppies cried, not wanting to see their father like this.

"Daddy", they cried. "Daddy, wake up."

"Damn it, Brian, you can't die!" Stewie said. "We were going to do so many things together. We were going to become wind surfers. I was going to be a little better than you, but we were both going to be good."

They watched as Brian struggled to move.

"You guys, I think Brian's trying to say something", Lois gasped.

"Brian", Barbara cried. "Sweetie, listen to me. You can't die, you know why? Because I'm pregnant. We're going to have more puppies."

Brian groaned as he opened his eyes. He looked at her and smiled. Barbara smiled back with tears in her eyes as held his hand.

"I know you'll take good care of them", he whispered. "You've given me a wonderful life. I love you all."

With that said, Brian let out one final breath as his eyes slowly closed. The vet check him and turned to the family.

"I'm sorry", he said. "He's gone."

"No!" Barbara screamed. "No, Brian! Come back! I won't let you go!"

She climbed onto the table and pounded Brian's chest with her fist. She grabbed Brian's face as she breathed into him. Barbara didn't want to let him go and was doing all she can to bring him back.

"Brian, live!" she cried. "You can't leave me like this!"

"Mom, stop it", Ollie said as the puppies pulled her off him.

"Brian..." Barbara cried.

"Mom, Dad's gone", Marcus said. "You have to let him go."

The Griffins gathered around Brian's body and sobbed. The puppies held each other and sobbed knowing they lost their father.

"Brian", Barbara sobbed as she wrapped her arms around him. "I love you, Brian. I love you."


	4. Brian's Funeral

"Brian", Barbara sobbed.

Brian's funeral was being held today. Barbara wasn't taking his death well at all. She had been crying nonstop, crying her self to sleep and barely ate. The puppies were worried for her well-being. She was so deep in grief, she completely forgot about the puppies she was carrying. If Barbara didn't get better soon, she was going to lose the puppies.

Half of Quahog turned up to Brian's funeral, it was mostly all the girls Brian dated in the past before Barbara. Barbara stood by Brian's coffin wiping her eyes as she watched people place flowers on top. She looked to see Joe and Bonnie coming to the family, paying their respects.

"Thank you so much for coming, guys", Lois said. "Brian would be very thankful that you're here."

"No problem, Lois", Joe said. "You know, I don't usually come to funerals since I'm a cop. I always end up getting hit by a black woman with a purse."

Speak of the devil, there was a black woman with a purse, hitting him.

"You find the man who did this", she said.

"Uh, ma'am, what's your relationship to Brian?" Joe asked.

"You bring him to justice! You make sure this age of child didn't die for nothing!"

"Ma'am, Brian's a dog."

"Thank you ma'am", Barbara said. "I'll take it from here."

She pulled out her purse and started hitting Joe.

"You find the man who did this", Barbara said. "You bring him to justice! You find the man who took away my husband and these puppies' father!"

"Hey, shut up and get on with it!" Quagmire said.

"And you!" Barbara said. "I have had enough of you! What are you even doing here?"

"I came to pay my respects", he answered angrily.

"Bull(bleep)!" she yelled. "Out of all of us, you were the only one that hated Brian! Who's to say you didn't kill him!"

The puppies looked at their mother and pulled her away.

"Mom, please calm down", Briana said. "We know you miss Dad. We all do too, but you need to calm down."

"You don't understand", Barbara sobbed. "Brian was not just your father, he wasn't just my husband. He was my savior, my hero. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be here today. I'd be lost on the streets. I loved him more than anything and now he's gone."

"Mom, don't cry", Marcus said. "You're pregnant, remember? This isn't good for the puppies."

"What's the use?" Barbara said. "Your father's gone. I can't raise these puppies without him."

"We'll help you", Ollie said.

"We won't let you raise them on your own", Jenny said.

Barbara nodded as fresh tears came to her eyes.

"I'm going to miss Brian so much", she sobbed.

"I'm going to miss him too", Peter cried.

"We're all going to miss him", Lois cried. "We're all going to miss him very much."

The guests all started crying knowing their words were true. All except Quagmire who was watching a ball game on his cellphone.

"Damn it, Ortiz", he said loudly. "Stop swinging at junk."

It took all the puppies' strength to hold Barbara back from attacking him. As they turned, Brian's casket was being lowered into the grave.

"Brian..." Barbara sobbed.

She watched as Stewie tossed a rose onto the coffin as it went into the ground. She followed suit as she held the rose.

"I love you, Brian", she cried. "I love you so much. I promise I'll never remarry."

She tossed the rose onto the casket and sobbed hard. The puppies looked at her and held her, trying to comfort her.


	5. A New Dog

The puppies sighed as they walked downstairs. A month had passed after Brian's death and the family was slowly trying to recover. The puppies sat at the table as Lois served breakfast.

"Where's Barbara?" Lois asked.

"She's upstairs", Briana said. "She's still crying."

Ever since Brian died, Barbara locked herself in her and Brian's room in the attic. She cried night and day, refusing to eat or sleep. She was growing dangerously thin for someone who was pregnant.

"I'm worried about her", Lois said. "What she's doing can't be good for the puppies."

"If she keeps this up, she could lose them", Jenny said looking down sad and scared.

Lois sighed as she served breakfast to the family. She stopped and frowned.

"Oh my god, I almost served Brian again. You know I hate to say it, but I think the only way to stop missing Brian is to get a new dog."

"What?" Ollie gasped. "You're just going to replace Dad like that? Why would you do something like that?"

"Barbara can't keep going on like this", Lois said. "Maybe a new dog will help her get over Brian and help her move on and take care of the puppies. And I know you kids will need a father. I know it'll take some time finding the right dog, but I really feel like it'll be the best way for us to move on."

"For you, maybe", Briana said pushing herself away from the table. "But not for us. We're not going to replace Dad no matter what you say."

The puppies went upstairs to the attic. They opened the door to see Barbara laying on Brian's side of the bed. In her hand, she held Brian's collar. She was still crying as she sniffed Brian's scent on the collar.

"What do you want?" Barbara asked.

The puppies sighed and walked to the bed. Barbara turned and looked at them, scaring them. Her eyes were bloodshot red from all her crying.

"Mom, you need to stop", Marcus said. "Please. We understand you miss Dad. We do too. But you need to get yourself together."

"I need Brian", Barbara cried. "I need him back in my life."

"Mom, snap out of it", Jenny said. "You have puppies to take care of. Do you care that you could lose them?"

Barbara cried and turned away. The puppies looked at her and sat with her. They looked at Brian's collar in her hands. It was shredded from the accident. They looked at the dented nametag seeing Brian's name fading.

"Mom, you need to get over this", Marcus said. "Peter and Lois are going to get a new dog."

"What?" Barbara gasped sitting up. "How could they do that?"

"They think this new dog will help you get over Dad and help you with the puppies", Ollie explained.

"No!" she shook her head. "They can't do this! No one can ever replace your father."

"I know, but what can we do about it?" Briana asked.

"I think I can help you with that."

They turned to see Stewie walking in the room.

"I refuse to accept this new dog as well and if I'm right, I have a plan that could get rid of the new dog."


	6. Vinny

The puppies watched as Barbara sat on the couch with a piece of pie on her lap. She took a bite out of the pie and sighed as she pushed it away.

"Come on, Mom", Jenny said. "You have to eat something. For the puppies' sake."

"I know", Barbara said. "But...I just have no appetite."

"Come on, just try to finish it", Briana said.

Barbara sighed and picked at the pie. The puppies looked at Stewie hoping he would have a solid plan to get rid of the new dog. Stewie said nothing as he just stared at the TV in front of them. They turned as the front door opened and the light switch flicked on. A new dog with a long face walked into the living room with the Griffins.

"You?" Marcus asked. "You're the new dog?"

"Hey, look at this", the new dog said with an Italian accent. "You guys got kids. I love kids."

"You...are the ugliest dog I have ever seen", Briana said crossing her arms.

"Hey, now who's this little beauty?" he asked walking to Barbara. "The name's Vinny. I'm the new dog in this house. What's you're name, pretty face?"

"Rude!" Barbara glared.

She got up and slapped Vinny across the face. The puppies glared as they gathered to their mother and took her back upstairs.

"What's that broad's problem?" Vinny asked.

"Oh, you'll have to excuse Barbara", Lois said. "You see, our old dog was her husband. She's still in mourning and she's expecting more pups soon."

"Ah, pups", Vinny said. "I love pups. And she's going to need help. Let's see if we can't get to know each other better."

Vinny went upstairs to the attic. There, the puppies were helping their mother back into bed. Vinny could see Barbara looked in pretty bad shape for someone who was pregnant. Briana turned and saw him. Her ears flattened against her head as she growled. The puppies looked at her and growled as they saw Vinny.

"What are you doing here?" Barbara asked.

"I just came to see you", Vinny said smiling slickly. "There's no harm in getting to know one another, is there?"

"I know what you're trying to do", Barbara said. "I know exactly what you're trying to do. You want to replace my husband just so you could have me, well guess what?"

She got up and walked toward Vinny, poking his chest.

"You are not going to replace Brian! You will not be my puppies' new father! You are never going to be my friend! I hate you!"

Barbara stopped and looked away in a daze. She collapsed in a heap at Vinny's feet.

"Mom!"

The puppies ran to her side, helping her up. Barbara had passed out. Starving herself and depriving herself of sleep was beginning to eat away at her condition.

"What's with her?" Vinny asked.

"Get out!" Ollie said.

Vinny rolled his eyes and sighed as he walked out of the attic. He turned back and took one more look as the puppies put Barbara back into bed. She needed some serious help.


	7. Kill Vinny

The puppies looked down as they sat outside the attic. Lois had called the vet to come check on Barbara and her pups. Ever since she collapsed in front of Vinny, she hadn't gotten out of bed. She hadn't even woken up. Everyone was getting worried for her and the puppies' sakes. Lois and Peter watched as the vet checked on Barbara.

"Doctor, how is she?" Lois asked. "Will Barbara and the puppies be okay?"

"This is not good", the vet said. "I'm afraid Barbara is suffering from a condition known as pre-eclampsia."

"Is this serious?" Peter asked.

"It's very serious. It's a multi-system disorder of pregnancy traditionally characterized by the occurrence of elevated blood pressure. We aren't sure how this starts, but it is the second common cause for death in pregnancies."

"English, please", Peter frowned.

"She has high blood pressure", the vet explained. "If left untreated, Barbara will develop seizures. Barbara and the puppies will die if this happens."

"Oh my god!" Lois gasped. "What can we do to treat it?"

"Mrs. Griffin, he only known treatment for pre-eclampsia is to deliver the puppies as soon as possible."

"What?" she said. "But it's far too early for the puppies to be born. They wouldn't survive."

The vet sighed as he packed up his equipment.

"If you like, we can admit her to keep observation to make sure she recovers. I have to be honest with you. I wouldn't expect any miracles, if I were you."

The vet picked up Barbara, taking her to his car. The puppies watched scared as they saw their mother being taken away.

"Mom!" Jenny called out.

"Where's he taking her?" Marcus asked.

"Your mother's very sick", Lois answered. "He's taking her to watch her for a few days to make sure she gets better."

The puppies watched as Lois and Peter walked away, looking almost as sad as they did when Brian died. The puppies looked at each other more scared than they had ever been. What was going to happen to them if they lost their mother as well?

"This is all that dog's fault", Stewie said glaring. "He came here and caused all this trouble, didn't he?"

"I guess", Briana said. "Mom was okay, then when the new dog came, she only got worse."

"Well that does it", Stewie said. "We're going to kill him."

"Kill him?" Ollie gasped. "Awesome! How are you going to do it?"

"I'm going to tell Vinny so much bad news about Italian-Americans that he goes into cardiac arrest."

The puppies frowned as they looked at him unimpressed.

"Really?" Jenny asked. "That's how you plan on killing someone?"

"Do you have a better plan?" Stewie asked.

"Dad told us how you used to have awesome plans when you tried to kill Lois", Marcus said. "Use those plans on Vinny."

"You guys really want to do this?" he asked.

"Trust me", Briana said. "Vinny with Mom is the last thing we want to see."

"And if Mom does die", Ollie added. "There will be no mercy!"


	8. Stewie's Weapons

"If we were going to kill someone, what could we use?" Marcus asked.

Stewie was taking the puppies into his room where he kept all of his weapons. The puppies were strongly against Stewie's idea, which they thought was a really weak plan. The five of them were looking through Stewie's weapons, mostly finding stuff Stewie used to kill Lois, but failed.

"Hey, what's this?" Jenny asked running to a failed weapon.

"It's a drill hovercraft", Stewie answered.

The invention had a drill on the front end, but the hovercraft itself was totaled.

"This thing is awesome!" Ollie said. "Is there any chance we could fix it?"

"Ugh, that thing took me a long time to put together", Stewie said. "Do you have any idea how long it's going to take to fix it?"

"We can help you", Briana said picking up a wrench.

"I want to drive it when it's done!" Jenny said.

Marcus shook his head, taking the tools away from his sisters.

"Maybe we should use something simpler", he said. "Can you imagine how much trouble we'd be going through if we used this?"

"Yeah", Stewie said. "We might get a repeat of what happened to me."

* * *

_Jenny steered the hovercraft into the kitchen were Vinny was. She smirked as she watched Vinny look in the refrigerator for a beer. She looked at the controls and pressed the button to activate the drill. Jenny pushed the handle to make the hovercraft fly at full speed toward Vinny, but apparently full speed wasn't fast enough. Vinny closed the refrigerator door and walked out of the kitchen. Jenny screamed as she drove the drill into the wall where it stayed, but she and the hovercraft spin in circles, banging against the floor._

_"Help, somebody!" she yelled. "I'm blacking out!"_

_Ollie laughed as he watched his sister hurt herself. He sat down and flicked coins at the hovercraft, watching them bounce off in different directions as Jenny continued hitting the floor._

* * *

"Good point", Jenny said backing away from the hovercraft.

"Hey, look at this", Ollie said pulling out a crossbow. "Can we use this?"

"Tried it to kill Lois", Stewie said. "The arrow just bounced off everything else."

"Let's see what it can do."

Ollie loaded the arrow onto the crossbow. Everyone hid in the toy box as they watched him pull the trigger. The arrow went flying all over the room, bouncing from wall to wall until it went out the open door. Ollie quickly tossed the weapon when they heard Meg screaming in pain.

"Okay, that idea's out", Marcus said. "Now what?"

"What does this thing do?" Briana asked holding some kind of ray gun.

"I say!" Stewie smiled. "I haven't seen that thing in ages! It's my old mind control ray gun."

"Does it still work?"

Briana pushed a button, sending the ray gun's waves to herself on accident. She stood there with her eyes wide and her face emotionless like a zombie.

"Eh, it'll wear off in a couple hours", Stewie shrugged.

"Don't you have anything we could use?" Marcus asked. "Like a normal gun or something?"

"I have a whole weapons espionage right here."

Stewie pulled the baseball bat in the toy box, opening up his closet to reveal all sort of weapons. Marcus looked at a ball that sat inside and pressed a button on it.

"Marcus, don't!" Stewie said.

There was a bright flashing light between Marcus and Stewie.

"What was that?" Stewie asked in Marcus' voice.

"Damn it!" Marcus said in Stewie's voice. "We switched bodies."

"Awesome!" Ollie said as the others watched them.


	9. Vinny's Offer

The Griffins were going to the vet to visit Barbara. The doctor gave them horrible news that morning. Barbara's condition had not gotten any better and unfortunately, the new puppies did not make it through the night. Lois carried flowers and the puppies brought drawings.

"How is she, doctor?" Lois asked.

"She's very upset", the vet answered. "Losing those puppies really hurt her."

"Oh my god. A miscarriage. I can't imagine."

"Will Mom be okay?" Briana asked.

"She will be, physically. Can't say for emotionally."

The puppies looked at each other sadly. Not only had they lost their father, but they lost their younger brothers or sisters. They opened the door to see Barbara laying in a kennel, facing away from them.

"Barbara", Lois said with a smile. "We brought these for you."

She put the flowers next to her in the kneel. Barbara just laid there, not turning around. Everyone looked at her sadly as she just pushed the flowers away.

"Mom", Ollie said. "We made these for you."

The puppies put their drawings next to the flowers. Babara sighed and reached around and grabbed the drawings. She sobbed softly as she looked at the pictures. The puppies drew pictures of Brian with wings and a halo holding the hands of two puppies that had wings and halos as well.

"Can I talk to my kids alone?" she asked.

"Of course, Barbara", Lois nodded.

She and the rest of the family walked out, leaving Barbara with the puppies. Th puppies watched as their mother turned around and looked at them with red eyes. Ever since it happens, she just cried. She lost Brian's last gift to her. How could she get over it so easily?

"Mom?"

Barbara sighed and sat up.

"Come here, kids", she said.

The puppies looked at her worried and crawled into the kennel. Barbara sighed and wrapped her arms around her kids, holding them tightly. The puppies looked at their mother and hugged her back.

"This was my fault, wasn't it?" she asked.

The puppies looked at each other, not knowing what to say. They just nuzzled her and hugged her.

"No, it wasn't your fault, Mom", Marcus said. "It happens sometimes."

"It is my fault", she said. "I've been moping over your dad this whole time. If I had just gotten over it like everyone else did, maybe the puppies would still be okay. I'm sorry I let your brothers or sisters die."

"Hey, the kids are right."

Barbara looked up to see Vinny standing there watching them. The puppies looked at him and growled, trying to keep him away from their mother.

"Your kids have their heads in the right places", he said with a smile. "These things happen. It wasn't your fault."

"I wish I could believe that", Barbara said. "But there's no way you can help me. I love my husband, I love my babies. These four are all I have left."

"Look, I know you don't like me", Vinny said. "But if you need anything, why don't you just come to me."

He turned away and walked out to join the rest of the family. The puppies growled still thinking all he wanted to do was replace Brian.


	10. Vinny's Help

"Mom?"

The puppies looked into the kitchen to see Barbara sitting at the table. She was holding Brian's flask in her hand as she drank out of it. To ease her pain, Barbara had taken up drinking.

"Mom, Marcus and I going to play ball", Ollie said. "Do you want to join?"

"No thanks", she said.

"Mom, do you want to come to the movies with Jenny and me?" Briana asked.

Barbara shook her head as she took another swig of whiskey. The puppies looked at each other sadly. They didn't know what to do about their mother. No matter what they did, she just wasn't going to cheer up. They didn't know how to fix a heart that was broken one too many times. Marcus and Ollie went out into the backyard while Briana and Jenny went out to the movies.

Lois came into the kitchen and sighed when she saw Barbara drinking.

"Barbara, I wish you'd stop drinking", she said. "You're setting a horrible example for the kids."

"I'm not", Barbara said. "My kids know better than to drink."

"They see you do it and they'll think it's okay", Lois pointed out. "Look at you, Barbara. Ever since Brian died, you've become a wreck. You need to get your act together."

"That's easy for you to say", she frowned. "You still have your husband. You still have all your children. You don't know what I'm feeling."

Barbara got up and walked into the backyard where Stewie was watching Ollie and Marcus play. She noticed Stewie was crying. She sat next to him and wrapped her arms around him as she cried too.

"I know", she said. "I miss him too."

The two of them cried until Vinny saw them.

"Hey, what's with the waterworks?" he asked.

"Oh, I just realized I paid too much for my muffler", Stewie lied, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Come on, kid don't cry. You're going to get your pants wrinkled. What's the matter?"

"You really want to know what the matter is?" Barbara asked. "You are. Ever since you showed up, it seems that no one cares about Brian anymore. Everyone forgot about him and seem to like you better. Well, I don't like you. I want my Brian back. I want my husband back."

"Look, I know it doesn't seem like it now, but you're going to be okay", Vinny said.

"You don't know that", Barbara said. "You never lost someone you loved."

"You know, before your family found me at the shelter, I lived with an old man named Leo. It was just him and me in a tiny apartment. We got pretty tight. He kind of became my whole world. When he passed away, it was real tough."

"So how did he die?" Stewie asked.

"He tried to go to a yoga class, and on the first pose, his ballsack split in half", Vinny answered. "So I guess Leo was my Brian."

"So how did you get over it?" he asked.

"Well, I met your family in the pet store. When I saw them looking for a dog, I kind of sensed you were all going through the same feeling of loss that I was. And it made me think 'hey, maybe I was meant to find these guys. Maybe we were meant to be together.'"

"Well, maybe for the rest of the family", Barbara said. "But, not for me. I swore on Brian's grave that I would never remarry."

"I respect that, Barbs", Vinny said. "Shows you really are loyal to your husband."

"So you can forget any chance you think you have about getting with our mom", Marcus growled.


	11. I Will Wait For You

Barbara sighed as she looked at the puppies. They were all carrying bouquets of flowers as they stood at the cemetery.

"Are you sure you want to come back here so soon?" Jenny asked.

"I'm sure", Barbara sighed. "I need to come to terms with this. Ever since this happened, I've been a horrible mother to you guys. I let you guys down. I let the new pups die. This is just something I have to do."

She sighed as she walked into the cemetery. She stood in front of Brian's grave with a heavy heart. Barbara looked at Brian's name engraved onto the stone and sighed as she sat down in front of it.

"Hello, Brian", she said. "It's been a while."

She put the flowers next to the headstone, touching the soft ground.

"I don't know what to do anymore", Barbara said. "I need you, Brian. The kids need you. Everything's gotten so bad without you. I want you back."

She looked down as a tear rolled down her face. She was so tired of crying, but she couldn't help but feel sad after everything that had happened.

_"Barbara, please stop crying..."_

Barbara looked up and gasped. She nearly screamed as she saw what looked like Brian floating above the grave. Her paw shook as she reached out to touch him only to find her paw went right through him.

"Brian?" Barbara gasped.

_"Yeah, it's me",_ he said. "_You've been crying way too much."_

"Can you blame me?" she asked. "I lost you. I lost our puppies. What's there for me to happy about?"

_"Hey, come on",_ Brian said. _"You still have the kids. They need you too."_

"But I need you. Brian, how am I supposed to go on without you? I swore I would never remarry."

_"I know and it made me happy to see you're loyal to me, even in death. But you can't revolve your world around me."_

"But what do I do?" Barbara asked.

"_Move on",_ Brian said. "_Be happy. Be a mother for the kids. You can go ahead and remarry if you want. I know you'll still love me."_

"But I don't want to remarry", she said. "I don't want anyone but you."

Brian sighed as he watched her. Barbara looked down shaking her head. She didn't want move on and forget about Brian. She looked up a saw him sitting on the headstone.

"What do I do?" she asked. "Will you come visit me again like this?"

_"Wish I could",_ Brian shrugged. _"But I can't. You need to let me go."_

"How?"

_"You'll figure something out",_ he said. _"Goodbye, Barbara."_

"Will you be waiting for me?" Barbara asked.

_"I'll wait for you."_

She sat there watching as Brian disappeared. Barbara sighed and turned as the puppies walked to the grave. It looked like they didn't see anything that just happened.

"Hi, Daddy", Briana said. "We got these for you. We also brought some for the puppies too."

The puppies laid the flowers on the grave. Barbara smiled and wrapped her arms around them. She was proud of them. They would grow up to be good dogs like their father.

"Mom, are you okay?" Ollie asked.

"Yeah", she sniffled. "I think I'm going to be okay. We're going to get through this."

The puppies looked at their mother and smiled. It looked like she was coming to terms with this. Brian would wait for her at the gates of Heaven. That gave her some comfort. Barbara looked at the sky with a smile.

"I love you, Brian", she whispered. "Take care of our kids."

_"I will",_ Brian said watching over them. _"And you take care of ours."_

He held the hands of their two puppies as they watched over their family.

* * *

_Barbara will struggle to move on. How will she fair without Brian? Find out int he next story_


End file.
